Simon Taufel's career timeline
Published: 11 January 2013

Lords.org looks back at the career of Simon Taufel, 2013 MCC Spirit of Cricket Cowdrey Lecturer and one of the finest international umpires of his generation.

1971 – Born in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

1988-89 – Opened the bowling for New South Wales’ Schoolboys in a side that was captained by Michael Slater and included Adam Gilchrist.

1997 - Makes his first-class umpiring debut as a 26-year-old, having begun umpiring several years earlier in club matches.

Taufel checks the light with Steve Bucknor during the first Test between England and India at Lord's in 2007

1999 – Officiates in his first One Day International at the age of 27, alongside compatriot Terry Prue, in Sydney for a match between Australia and Sri Lanka. Former team-mate and 2009 MCC Spirit of Cricket Cowdrey Lecturer Adam Gilchrist scores a century.

2000 – Umpires in his first Test match, the Boxing Day Test at Melbourne between Australia and West Indies, alongside India’s Srinivas Venkataraghavan. Aged just 27, Taufel is part of a new breed of young international umpires.

2003 – Taufel is added to the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires for the first time.

2004-2008 – Is named as the ICC Umpire of the Year on five consecutive occasions in this period, establishing himself as the pre-eminent umpire of his age.

Taufel accepts the ICC Umpire of the Year award in Mumbai in 2006

2007 - Stands alongside England's Mark Benson in the first ICC World Twenty20 final between India and Pakistan in Johannesburg - with India winning by five runs. It is the first of four major ICC finals in six years for Taufel.

2009 – Joins the MCC Laws sub-committee. Taufel remains an important part of the sub-committee, which meets quarterly to discuss, debate and revise the Laws of the game.

2011 – Officiates in his first and only World Cup final (Australia's participation in the past two finals prevented him from standing) alongside Aleem Dar of Pakistan, as India beat Sri Lanka in Mumbai. It was Taufel's third ICC World Cup tournament.

Sharing a joke with Mohammad Yousuf during the first Test between New Zealand and Pakistan at Dunedin in 2009

2012 – Stands in his last Test match and One Day Intenational, both at Lord’s between England and South Africa, before bowing out of the international game in his third ICC World Twenty20 Final in Colombo, as hosts Sri Lanka are beaten by the West Indies.

2012 – Retires from umpiring at the age of 41.

2013 – Invited by MCC President Mike Griffith to give the 2013 Spirit of Cricket Cowdrey Lecture at Lord's on Wednesday 24 July.